Musings and Meditations

When all is said, that can be said on this issue (of lostness), the greatest remaining mystery is not the character of God nor the destiny of lost people.

The greatest mystery is why those who are charged with rescuing the lost have spend two-thousand years doing other things. . .

— Robertson McQuilkin —

Our churches engage in many good things. We minster to ourselves. We minister to our community. We even ministry to suffering populations — the poor, widow, orphan, and prisoner. As Christians, we are often asked to be involved in ministries that meet felt needs. Some ministries even elicit applause from those outside the church.

Following Robertson McQuilkin’s question, however, is the embarrassing lack of priority that many Christians and their churches place on global evangelism and world missions. The energy, money, and human resources we invest close to home says volumes about our beliefs and trust in God.

We should all work to make our communities and our country better. We should labor so that those closest to us hear about Jesus. But, we cannot ignore the desperate lostness that exists around the world.

Lord of the harvest, this wandering in darkness are searching for the Light of Jesus. Would you be gracious enough to guide them into the glorious gospel. If you will, Lord, use me in this mission . . .

Scott Hildreth is the director of the Lewis A. Drummond Center for Great Commission Studies. He frequently speaks on issues of missions, spiritual formation, missiology, and theology. Scott also contributes to SEBTS faculty blog www.betweenthetimes.com